Quarantine
by Trekkiehood
Summary: After a mission goes wrong, Steve gets stuck in quarantine. It's not pleasant. Written for the Inevitable Awards by xGood-Vibesx. No slash


**For the Inevitable Awards hosted by xgood-vibesx on Wattpad.**

**~A~**

Steve paced the small room. A box really. He had never liked small spaces. Especially since the war. Then there was that whole thing with the Valkyrie... He really didn't like small spaces.

You'd think Tony could get a bigger containment centre. They were the Avengers! Couldn't they get a normal-sized room? An entire floor would be better. Them maybe he wouldn't feel like such a prisoner.

It was a simple mission at the beginning. It wasn't until he had entered the warehouse that everything had gone wrong.

The room had begun to fill with gas. He'd been trapped alone in the large, airtight building for nearly three hours. Steve knew he had passed out at some point. He remembered hearing them trying to get in. He remembered saying something about not letting the gas out. There were vague impressions after that. Choking. Metal arms. Flying. Shouting. Then, eventually, waking up, once again alone, in a small containment area.

The room, no cage, in all honesty that's what it was, was completely encased in glass. He felt like some specimen in a menagerie. Trapped. Alone.

He wanted out.

No one had come. No one had spoken to him.

He was angry. He wanted out.

His pacing stopped as he found his lungs begin to spasm. Steve fell to his knees, working to take in a breath.

Where was everybody? Shouldn't they be here? Doing something? Helping him?

His head ached and he could almost feel the adrenaline excessively pumping into his bloodstream.

"Cap," a voice said.

Steve looked up, squinting at the sudden brightness of the room.

"You need to calm down," Tony said from the other side of the glass. His arms were crossed, but he looked more concerned than the stern.

"So, you decided to show up." He finished with a grunt, feeling like a spike was shoved through his skull.

Tony looked uncertain. "We didn't want to... Agitate you."

"Stop making excuses and tell me what's going on."

The billionaire stood silent for a long moment.

"You were infected-"

"Yeah, I got that, how about something useful." Was it possible for his brain to literally be on fire?

"We couldn't go in until we figured out how to get rid of the gas. You were really... out of it when we finally got to you. I was the only one who could touch you because you were practically oozing the stuff."

"What," he gasped in pain, "stuff."

Tony took a step forward, before stepping back again. His eyes were filled with concern. He opened his mouth to say something but seemed to change his mind.

"We're not entirely sure. It's poisonous-"

"Obviously." Steve hissed.

"We don't know what exactly it does, other than that it's deadly for humans. You're only alive because of," he motioned his hands up and down, "your super-soldier serum."

Steve might have just been hallucinating, but he thought he saw a spark of fear in the billionaire 's eyes.

"So I take it, you," gasp, "can't let me out anytime soon."

Tony shook his head. "Not until whatever it is wears off."

O_r __you die._

It was the unspoken truth that Steve could almost hear. Then again, he was pretty sure his sanity was slipping.

Another intense burst of pain had him back on the ground, gasping for oxygen. He felt like there was none left. Logic told him that the air was being filtered, his lungs told him otherwise.

"-eve. Steve look at me!" Tony must have begun banging on the glass at some point.

As the pain died down, he took a deep breath and pushed himself up.

"Cap?"

Steve didn't even look at him. He couldn't. He regretted wishing for someone to be down here. At this point, he wanted to be alone. Let him suffer in privacy.

"Steve answer me!" He sounded almost desperate.

The soldier sighed, "What do you want, Tony?"

"Oh thank heavens." Tony breathed, "Is there something you need? Want? Your wish is my command as they say." He was nearly bouncing with nervous energy.

"Unless you can get me out of here, no." Steve ground out, screwing his eyes shut.

"Steve-"

"Don't. Jus-just stop talking. Too loud always too loud." Everything was. Everything was too loud. Tony, the air purifier he doubted before, the screaming pain in his head. His breathing. His breathing was too loud.

Taking a breath, he held it for several long seconds.

"Steve?" Tony had started shouting again. "Steve stop, what are you-"

"Just shut up!" Steve finally yelled.

Tony took a step back, eyes widening slightly.

"Just stop the constant talking. The noise. So much noise all the time. Why is the twenty-first century so loud? And right now I can hear everything! Every little beating of your heart, of mine. Just, just stop adding to it and leave me in peace."

He choked, slamming his hands tighter over his ears.

The pain increased until, even with his eyes closed, there was an increasingly bright light. He screamed as he felt something begin to eat its way out of his body. Then finally, blessedly, silent darkness.

~A~

He wasn't sure how much time had passed when he finally awoke. Steve groaned, working his head back and forth.

"Steve?" Tony sounded tense.

The captain worked his wat to a sitting position and looked up. He was still in his box, his cage. Tony was pressed up against the glass, eyes wide.

"Are you okay?" He pressed.

Steve nodded slowly. "I-I think so." The extreme pain was gone, the excelled beating of his heart had slowed, and the noise had made its way down to normal levels. For him at least.

"Good." Tony sighed. "You flatlined for a solid thirty second."

It was said so matter of factly that Steve could only blink.

"How-?"

"I don't know. Your vitals spiked then bottomed out. Then just as quickly, they came back to normal levels. I didn't even have time to call anyone."

Apparently, he hadn't been out very long.

"I feel fine now." Then hesitantly he added, "Do you think I could come out now?"

Tony gave a sympathetic shake of his head. "Sorry, bud, Bruce said we would have to wait at least twenty-four hours after detox. The gas seems to be gone, but we can't take any chances with us, ordinary humans." He smirked slightly.

"Of course not." Steve sighed.

After a long moment of silence, Tony started to move backwards.

"Sorry, you said you wanted me to leave, I, uh, kind of got caught up in everything and... I'll leave.

"No!" Steve shouted, surprising them both. "Uh, you can stay. I just... I'm fine now."

"No really it's fine, I-"

"Please," Steve whispered. "I don't want to be alone again. It reminds me of-" he cut himself off, realizing what he was saying. "Never mind, it's fine. You can go if you need to."

Tony's eyes widened slightly with realization. "Oh, Cap, I didn't even think... Of course, I'll stay." He pulled up a chair and sat down. "I'll stay as long as you need."

"Thanks, Tony." He offered a small smile.

The small space wasn't so bad when he wasn't alone.

**~A~**

**Definitely not my most favourite, but here she is.**

**Let me know what you guys think!**

**God bless,**  
**Jamie**


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